Taste of New Orleans: From humble start to rollicking party

Carina Benavides munches on fried alligator while strolling the venue. Also on the menu for the 28th event: shrimp étouffée, jambalaya and funnel cake, just to name a few of the offerings.

Photo By Photos by Robin Jerstad / For the San Antonio Express-News

Austin band Gumbo Ce Soir fills the Sunken Garden Theater with French Cajun music at the featured Fiesta event.

Photo By For the San Antonio Express-News

Adriene Wilson holds one of the more popular food items from Fiesta Taste of New Orleans, Alligator-On-A-Stick.

Photo By For the San Antonio Express-News

Gary Bowie and Gregory Walker dish up some cajun pasta during the Fiesta Taste of New Orleans Saturday in the Sunken Garden Theater..

Photo By Robin Jerstad/San Antonio Express-News

Lisa Hicks and Roland Berg enjoy a funnel cake with ice cream at the Fiesta Taste of New Orleans Saturday, April 20, 2013, at the Sunken Garden Theater.

Photo By Robin Jerstad/San Antonio Express-News

A large crowd took advntage of sunny weather to attend the Fiesta Taste of New Orleans in the Sunken Garden Theater.

Photo By Robin Jerstad/San Antonio Express-News

People attending the Fiesta Taste of New Orleans Saturday, April 20, 2013, two-stepped to the Gumbo Co Soir Band at the Sunken Garden Theater.

Photo By Robin Jerstad/San Antonio Express-News

The Gumbo Co Soir band played during Saturday's Taste of New Orleans at the Sunken Garden Theater.

Photo By Robin Jerstad/San Antonio Express-News

Grace Kyzar turns upside down on the Power Jump Ride during Saturday's Fiesta Taste of New Orleans in the Sunken Garden Theater.

Photo By Robin Jerstad/San Antonio Express-News

Lisa Hicks and Roland Berg enjoy a funnel cake with ice cream at the Fiesta Taste of New Orleans Saturday, April 20, 2013, at the Sunken Garden Theater.

Photo By Robin Jerstad/San Antonio Express-News

Sheilagh and Ian Hartley who are visiting San Antonio from Manchester, England, dance during Fiesta Taste of New Orleans Saturday, April 20, 2013, at the Sunken Garden Theater.

Photo By Robin Jerstad/San Antonio Express-News

Amber Yeoman prepare some boiled crawfish at the Fiesta Taste of New Orleans Saturday, April 20, 2013, at the Sunken Gardens Theater.

Photo By Robin Jerstad/San Antonio Express-News

Creole cooking was the order of the day at the Fiesta Taste of New Orleans Saturday, April 20, 2013, at the Sunken Gardens Theater.

Photo By Robin Jerstad/San Antonio Express-News

Cajun Pasta was one of the favored dishes at Saturday's Fiesta Taste of New Orleans in the Sunken Garden Theater.

More Information

A Taste of New Orleans: The party continues Sunday

When: Noon until 11 p.m.

Where: Sunken Garden Theater, 3875 N. St. Mary's St.

Admission: $12 at the gate, free for children 12 and younger. Anyone under 18 must have adult supervision.

Thousands of revelers descended on the Sunken Garden Theater on Saturday afternoon to enjoy mouthwatering Cajun and Creole classics including gumbo and shrimp étouffée and sway to the sounds of jazz, blues and salsa at the featured Fiesta event, A Taste of New Orleans.

Running through Sunday, the three-day event features live bands, food and drink, face painting, dancing, a moonwalk and other activities for the young or young at heart. Ian and Sheilagh Hartley from Manchester, England, said the music was a big draw. The duo drew hoots and applause as they kicked and swung to the stylings of Gumbo Ce Soir, an Austin band playing French Cajun music on the amphitheater stage.

“It's fantastic,” Sheilagh Hartley said as she took a break to hydrate, her red hair pinned back in a checkered handkerchief like Rosie the Riveter. “It's worth coming all our way,” she added.

In their 60s, the pair said it was their first time at the Fiesta event though they're longtime friends of the Alamo City.

While the Hartleys danced up a storm, others focused on food — an impressive menu that also included Boudin sausage, Cajun stew, jambalaya and fried alligator.

Lisa Hinojosa was enjoying a strawberry-topped funnel cake. In between bites, longtime friend Jesse Ibarra said that of all the Fiesta events, this is a favorite because “it's more family-oriented and the music is awesome.”

A big event now, A Taste of New Orleans had humble beginnings.

Don Moyé, 81, a founding member of the San Antonio Zulu Association, said the group started its fundraising efforts by selling barbecue plates in the late '60s and '70s. After joining the Fiesta Commission, the group lost all its money — twice — in the first two years. After they came up with a theme and switched venues, the event grew.

Now in its 28th year, it draws up to 40,000 people each year, Moyé said. Proceeds help pay for scholarships and donations to other nonprofits the group believes in, including the San Antonio Boys and Girls Club.

“When we first joined ... the guy said we don't want people who are fly-by-night, who are going to leave if the event fails,” he said. “We promised them we would stick it out.”